Decades since the SUV first took a foothold in the American market, it feels safe to say that if you want a vehicle that does everything, an SUV is exactly that. However, it wasn’t always that way. For the longest while, the SUV was a tradeoff. Something good on the road like a BMW X5 was severely compromised off the beaten path, and something made for rugged terrain like a Land Rover Discovery didn’t feel close to car-like on the tarmac. Then the Porsche Cayenne dropped, and it changed everything.
The Cayenne didn’t invent the super SUV genre, but it certainly helped popularize it. It’s also the reason Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Ferrari all sell SUVs now. However, this watershed SUV won’t cost you supercar money to buy today, because you can pick up a nice example in a desirable trim for less than the price of a new Kia Seltos.
What Are We Looking At?
Back in the 1990s, Porsche wasn’t the cultural juggernaut it is today, but instead a quirky sports car maker barely keeping its head above water. To survive, it needed to rationalize its sports car lineup and take a three-prong approach — build a new water-cooled 911, use much of that chassis to build an entry-level mid-engined sports car, and then ensure continued success with some sort of family vehicle. The first product in the revitalization scheme, the mid-engined Boxster, threw Porsche a lifeline, but it wasn’t one that would last forever. In the words of Anton Hunger, head of communications for Chairman of the Executive Board Wendelin Wiedeking, “It was apparent that the sports car had its limits on the market … The sales division had clearly demonstrated this using market research. In the long run, Porsche would have ended up on a downward slope again.”
Although Porsche initially considered building a minivan, it eventually landed on an SUV, and struck up a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to build something using the first-generation M-Class’ bones. That fell through almost immediately, but a savior was found: Volkswagen boss and product-first mad genius Ferdinand Piëch. See, a super-SUV fit in with Piëch’s plan to build some of the most advanced cars the world had ever seen, and so Volkswagen and Porsche would share a platform, with each brand being responsible for their own V8 engines and chassis tuning, along with differences in styling, interior components, electronics, and even locations for final assembly. In 2002, the world saw the Cayenne for the first time, and nothing’s been the same ever since.
Sure, the base engine was a 3.2-liter VR6 from Volkswagen, and this two-row ‘ute had a curb weight teetering on the edge of 5,000 pounds, but that’s about where the boredom stopped. The top-spec Turbo trim was the most powerful mass-produced SUV in the world with 450 horsepower, it could run from zero-to-60 mph in five seconds in Car And Driver instrumented testing, top out at 161 mph, and tow 7,716 pounds, all while having superlative on-road agility for the time. In 2003, no proper SUV could handle like the Cayenne, and that on-road prowess didn’t come by sacrificing off-road capability.
With low range, available air suspension, and an optional locking rear differential, the Cayenne still had what it took to be a proper off-roader. We’re talking an approach angle of 32.4 degrees, a departure angle of 27.3 degrees, and 10.75 inches of ground clearance with the air ride fully raised. The only compromise this SUV made was at the pumps, and now all of this magnificence can be had in mint condition for the price of a new Kia Seltos.
How Much Are We Talking?
When I said that original Porsche Cayenne SUVs are still reasonably priced, I’m talking about top-of-market examples. A base Kia Seltos stickers for $25,865 including freight and you can buy a nice Cayenne for far less than that. This coveted 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S recently sold on Bring A Trailer for $19,000 with a reasonable 92,000 miles on the clock. The 2006 to 2007 Turbo S saw a boost in output to 520 horsepower, which made an already quick SUV even quicker. Granted, this one doesn’t have the hitch receiver for towing a big trailer, but it’s seen updated coolant pipes fitted, and it’s in the classic color combination of black-on-black.
Perhaps you’re a bigger fan of the facelifted models. No worries. This 2008 Cayenne GTS recently sold on Bring A Trailer for $20,957 with 88,000 miles on the clock, and it’s already seen some big maintenance items including the driveshaft center support bearing and the air suspension compressor replaced proactively. With a 405-horsepower naturally aspirated V8, a unique suspension calibration, and a wicked set of 21-inch wheels, the GTS might just be the driver’s choice of first-generation Cayenne variants.
If you’re looking for a well-kept high-mileage hero to rack up towing miles in, you might be interested in something like this 2006 Cayenne Turbo S that sold on Cars & Bids for $10,100 with a whopping 188,300 miles on the clock. A pre-purchase inspection revealed an inoperable rearview camera and occasional distortion from one of the speakers to be the only functional defects, and a long history of predominantly routine maintenance suggests that with a little tenderness, this Cayenne Turbo S was great to its last owner.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong On A Porsche Cayenne?
As you can probably expect, depreciated luxury SUVs in general aren’t the most reliable things on the road, so let’s address the big elephant in the room first: bore scoring, an issue known to affect 4.5-liter and 4.8-liter V8 Cayenne models. The only way to fix it is to rebuild the entire engine, but it’s easy to check for and prevent. A pre-purchase inspection with a borescope can determine whether or not a Cayenne has bore scoring. So long as you change the oil every 5,000 miles, use a good filter, don’t over-do short drives where the engine oil can’t warm up, and keep an eye on your fuel trims to ensure the engine isn’t over-fuelling due to clogged or bad injectors, an engine that hasn’t already started to suffer bore scoring will almost certainly last the life of the vehicle.
A more prevalent issue on V8 models made before January 2007 is coolant leaking from crossover pipes in the valley of the engine. See, Porsche made these pipes out of plastic, and now that early models are more than 20 years old, that plastic can sometimes crack. Replacing these pipes is labor-intensive but definitely DIY-able. A full kit with aluminum cooling pipes, coolant, and every gasket you need lists for $875.68 from FCP Euro, and is a permanent lifetime fix.
For models with air suspension, replacement air ride-specific bits are bit a pricey. Good third-party air springs can be bought separately from struts for $552.74 apiece from FCP Euro, a good third-party compressor retails for $517.12 through FCP Euro, and a solenoid valve unit will run you $311.99. Granted, the majority of Cayennes came on traditional coil springs, but if you’re specifically looking for a Turbo or a model with maximum clearance, those are the prices you’ll pay to play with air suspension.
Otherwise, the majority of issues you may encounter with an original Cayenne are the sort of issues you’d encounter with just about any 15-to-20-year-old vehicle. Sunroof drains clog, bushings wear out, driveshaft support bearings wear out, valve cover gaskets may leak, transmissions that have never seen a fluid change may have issues. A good pre-purchase inspection is worth its weight in gold, but these SUVs aren’t as nightmarish as the internet might have you believe.
Should You Buy A Porsche Cayenne?
Perhaps. Look, any depreciated SUV is going to be problematic, but if you need plenty of towing capacity, Cayennes can be the best of a questionable bunch, especially if you live in the rust belt where Toyota SUVs rot out while still carrying elevated resale values. The original Cayenne is generally more robust than other German SUVs of the era, but it’s nowhere near as simple as say, an Escalade. Just remember, these were complex, bleeding-edge vehicles when they launched, and they can still be a little complex to maintain.
However, if you’re looking for an SUV that’s great to drive and still does all the proper SUV stuff you’d expect, a Cayenne is likely your answer. Sure, it may have launched with a face that only a mother could’ve loved, but the hardware underneath speaks louder than styling ever could.
(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer, Cars & Bids)
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